Many research scientists are inspired by ……………hope of curing diseases by genetic engineering.

Fewer people attend…….. church regularly now than twenty years ago.

Julianne studied for seven years to become …….. criminal lawyer.

Like many people, I learnt to play……… piano when I was a child, but gave it up in my teens.

We recommend that children and teenagers are inoculated against………meningitis.

Underline the correct determiner or determiners in each sentence (- = no article). In some cases two may be correct.

Example: None/ Some/ Both neighbours rushed to the aid of the elderly woman.

It costs £10 a/an/- hour to hire the squash court.

There’s a/ the/ – good wine bar in the town centre, isn’t there?

A/ The/- Mr Jones came to see you this afternoon.

My parents grew up in the 1950s. In the/ these/ those days there was far less freedom than there is now.

This/That/A woman I’d never met before came up to me in the bank and asked if she could borrow £10!

It’s freezing! I’ve never known a winter -/this/that cold before.

Isn’t there any / some/ the way that you can ensure delivery tomorrow?

Every /All/ Each the children in the school have to take up at least one sport.

We have asked our retail outlets to return both/both of/some the new models for further inspection.

Much/A lot / A few depends on the final outcome of the negotiations.

B GRAMMAR EXPLANATION: Determiners

Determiners are words that precede nouns, e.g. articles, demonstratives, quantifiers and possessive adjectives. Articles can be a problem area in English for students even at advanced level, especially for those whose own language has a very different article system. This unit covers articles, demonstratives and quantifiers.

ARTICLES

1A. Basic rules

Articles (a/ an, the) precede nouns and some other words in a noun phrase, e.g. few, little, adjectives. The article is usually the first word in a noun phrase, but note:

all/ both/ half + the: all the information, both the twins

quite / rather /such / what/ half + a/ an: quite a difficult problem

We use the indefinite article (a/ an) with singular countable nouns: a garage, an opinion.

We use the definite article (the) with singular countable nouns (the garage), with plural nouns (the latest computers) and uncountable nouns (the purest water). We can omit the with uncountable and plural nouns.

1B. Naming, describing and classifying

We use a/ an when we name or describe something:

That’s a scarab beetle. ‘What’s that?’ ‘It’s an enormous anthill.’

We use a/ an when we refer to one example of a class or a species:

An African elephant has larger ears than an Indian elephant.

We use the to refer to the whole class or species:

The African elephant has larger ears than the Indian elephant.

However, it is more common to refer to the whole class with the plural:

African elephants have larger ears than Indian elephants.

Note: We do not use a/ an to refer to a whole class rather than individual examples:

X Ruthless poachers hunt an elephant for the valuable ivory of its tusks.

✓ Ruthless poachers hunt the elephant for the valuable ivory of its tusks.

✓ Ruthless poachers hunt elephants for the valuable ivory of their tusks.

We can also use the with an adjective to refer to a class of people :

The homeless will be removed from the streets and placed in hostels.

1C. Known or unknown topic

We use a/ an when the topic (noun) is not known to our listener/reader; we use the when it is known. Therefore, we usually use a/ an for the first reference to a topic in a text, but then use the for subsequent references:

A new travel guide has advised would-be tourists to Morecambe that it is a place to avoid. … The guide paints a bleak – if not third- world – picture.

We do not always have to mention something for it to be known to the listener. We consider that it is known in the following situations:

situation

example

something is unique superlatives

the context makes it ‘known’

We are in danger of permanently damaging the Earth.

Muhammad AH is the greatest heavyweight boxer ever.

‘Has Edward arrived get?’ ‘Yes, he’s in the dining-room.’

(= the dining-room of the house we are in)

a defining phrase makes it known’

a prepositional phrase makes it ‘known’

Oasis is the Manchester band that shot to fame in the early

Meet me in the café next to the underground station near my house

1D. General and specific

With plural nouns we use either the or no article. We don’t use an article when we want to refer to a group or class in general. Compare:

Tourists are often blamed for changing the character of a place. (= all tourists)

Did you notice what the tourists in the cathedral were doing? (= specific tourists)

It is commonly accepted today that brown bread is good for you.

Did you remember to get the bread out of the freezer?

We only use an article before an abstract noun if we wish to make an abstract noun more specific, e.g. to talk about a particular type of hope.

X It is impossible to live in a world without the hope

✓ It is impossible to live in a world without hope (hope in general)

The hope of finding a cure for cancer drives a lot of medical research.

Nouns such as church, hospital, school do not take an article if we think of their purpose, i.e. church as a place of worship, or school as a place of learning:

Fewer people attend church regularly now than twenty years ago.

Can children leave school at fourteen in your country?

If we think of the physical place or building, we use an article:

The collection for restoring the church has almost reached its target.

Is there a school in the village or do the children have to go to the town?

1E. Other common uses of articles

A /an

jobs, nationalities and beliefs: I’m a structural engineer. Helmut’s an Austrian. Cat Stevens became a Muslim1

numbers: a hundred thousand

prices, speeds, etc: two dollars a kilo, 20km an hour

1: We can use these without an article if we put the noun before the person’s name: Irishman Eddie Jordan has put together a team of great quality and spirit.

the

some geographical names: plurals (the United States, the US), areas (the West),

mountain ranges (the Pyrenees), oceans or seas (the Pacific Ocean, the Black Sea), rivers (the Rhone)

musical instruments: She plays the violin.

the media: All our family work in the theatre 2

in some comparative phrases: the more the merrier, all the better

in front of superlatives and first, last, next, only, same, right, wrong: the most

dangerous profession, the last time, the only one

in measurements: You can buy saffron by the gram.

physical environments: I prefer the town to the country.

newspapers: the Times, the Herald Tribune, the Dally Mirror

dates when spoken: the tenth of May

2: We often use television, cinema, etc. without an article to refer to the art or entertainment form: She works in television. I’m studying film in my final year.

If we refer to a specific item we use the article:

Don’t put flowers on the television. Have you seen the new film by Ridley Scott?

A Mr Jones came to see you this afternoon. (I don’t know which Mr Jones.)

We can make a name more specific by using the:

The Mr Jones with the stutter came to see you. (The stutter identifies this Mr Jones.)

4: Although we don’t usually use an article with seasons, it is possible to use the: in the

spring/the summer, and note that we use the with parts of the day: in the afternoon.

Note: We usually use a possessive adjective (not the) to refer to parts of the body:

Put your hand up if you know the answer.

2. DEMONSTRATIVES

2A. Used as adjectives

We can use demonstratives, this/that (singular) and these/those (plural), as adjectives before nouns to refer to someone or something known to both speaker and listener:

I’m not sure which shoes to buy.’ ‘Well, I think these shoes are lovely.’

close

distance

Space

Do you recognise this man?

These parrots can live to over 70.

I’ve seen that man before.

Can you see those birds in the tree?

Time

What are you doing this weekend? There’s so much crime these days.

Do you remember that weekend?

There were no drugs in those days.

We use them to distinguish between close and distant things (in both space and time): In very informal speech we can use this or these instead of a/ an or some, often to introduce a topic or start telling a story:

This woman came up to me in the bank and asked if she could borrow …

2B. Used as pronouns or intensifiers

We can use demonstratives as pronouns to refer to a noun, a thing or idea:

This is a really wonderful cup of tea. What kind is it?

A/ an says he’s giving up his job to travel the world. I think that’s stupid.

We can use this to talk about a situation that we are experiencing:

This is the worst recession we have seen for more than ten years.

We can use demonstratives as a more formal alternative to the one(s):

Hundreds of Brixton residents turned out to welcome Tyson to their borough. Those who had bothered were rewarded by a 40-minute walkabout.

In certain expressions, we can use this or that instead of so to intensify an adjective:

I’ve never known a winter this cold before. So you think you’re that clever, do you?

QUANTIFIERS

3A. Common quantifiers and their use

Quantifiers are determiners which describe the quantity of something. Notice the use of of or of the shown in the table:

quantifier

+ singular noun

+ plural noun

+ uncountable noun

no

none of the

neither

either

any

both

neither cat

either twin

any document

I’ve got no coins.

none of the details

neither of the cats

either of the twins

any (of the) documents

both (of the) awards 2

I ‘ve got no money.

none of the information

any (of the) information

few/ little

half

some

several

a lot of

many/ much

most

each

every (one of)

all

half (of) the task

a lot of the conference

most of the holiday

each applicant

every page 4

all (of) the problem

(a) few (of the) sweets 3

half (of) the tasks

some (of the) jewels

several (of the) episodes

a lot of (the) ideas

many (of the) chairs

most (of the) apples

each of the applicants

every one of the pages

all (of) the problems

(a) little (of the) water 5

half (of) the work

some (of the) jewellery

a lot of (the) time

much (of the) furniture

most (of the) fruit

all (of) the trouble

1: We often use quantifiers (except none and a lot) directly before a noun:

It is impossible to nominate both candidates for the Vice-presidency.

With most quantifiers, using of the before a plural or uncountable noun changes the meaning of the noun from general to specific:

I’d like some jewellery. (general, we don’t know which jewellery)

I’d like some of the jewellery. (specific, a particular set of jewellery)

2: With both we can omit of before the. Both (of) the candidates believed they had won.

3: For the difference between little/few and a little/ a few.

4: Note the difference between each and every. Both quantifiers describe ‘more than one’; we can use each to refer to two things, but not every:

X She was wearing a fine gold chain on every ankle.

✓ She was wearing a fine gold chain on each ankle.

But: She was wearing a ring on every finger.

We usually use some in positive sentences, any in questions and negatives:

You’ve got some interesting ideas, but have you got any money to back them?

We can use any in positive sentences with the meaning ‘it doesn’t matter which’:

You won’t catch any fish here. Any fisherman will tell you that.

Note: it is possible to use some in questions where we have some expectation that the answer will be positive:

Is some of the information useful? (I expect that a part of it is.)

Is any of the information useful? (I have no idea if it is useful or not.)

3B. Quantifiers as subjects verb.

We can use quantifiers (except no and every) without a noun as subject of the clause:

The vote was split: half were in favour of the motion, half were against it.

When used as subjects some quantifiers take a singular verb, and some take a plural Others are used with a singular or plural verb, depending on the noun they substitute or modify. Look at the table.

always singular

each, either, much

Much of the research has already been completed.

always plural

both, several, a few, many

Some visitors to the new gallery are enthusiastic but many have

expressed their disappointment.

singular or plural

any, half, some, a lot. all

Some of the information is considered top secret.

Some of us are hiring a minibus to go to the match.

‘We can’t get many books to the schools in the outback.’ ‘Don’t worry. Any (books) are better than none.’

1: The quantifiers neither and none take a singular verb with plural nouns, though a plural verb is now accepted in speech and informal writing:

None of the students is/are willing to accept the increase in coursework.

C PRACTICE EXERCISE

Q 1.

Read this story and fill in the gaps with the correct article: a/ an, the or – (no article). For one gap you will need a possessive adjective.

I first experienced terror when I was seven. My mother lived in London, but after a brief liaison with (1)____ soldier from the United States she became pregnant and fled to (2)____ country. (At that time, fifty years ago, it was considered shameful to be a single parent.) A great aunt of hers lived in (3)____ cottage in (4)_____ North Wales, and there she was able to bring me up in (5)____ peace, pretending that she was a widow. (6)_____ locals were all very friendly to us and accepted us without question, and I had (7)______ blissful childhood.

One day I arrived home from (8)_____ school to find my mother clutching (9)_____telegram, in floods of tears. (10)_______ telegram informed her that her father – my grandfather – had died. His funeral would be in three days and we had to go to London. I had never been outside (11)_____ village and I was really excited at the thought of going to (12)______ capital city. So, two days later, we boarded a train to London. It was (13)_____ first time I had been on a train and I could barely contain (14)_______ excitement of such an adventure. Several hours later we arrived. I clutched my mother’s hand as we stepped down from the train. (15)________ station was full of people rushing home from (16)______ work and it was quite dark. Now (17)_____ fear was starting to creep into my mind. Then, suddenly, we were in (18)_______ street outside the station. I had never seen so many people, buses and cars, nor heard so much noise. I was terrified. I opened (19)________ mouth and the wail that I let escape was one of (20)______ sheer terror.

Q 2.

Complete these short sentences with an appropriate article: a/an, the or – (no article).

1 He’s got……… asthma.

2 The ring is just a band of ………. gold.

3 It prints seven pages minute.

4 Let’s have a weekend in ………. mountains

5 She’s at………. work.

6 It’s in Tasman Sea.

7 Sorry – it’s ………. wrong answer.

8 It appeared in ………. New York Times.

9 She’s always been ………. Catholic.

10 What’s for ………. dinner?

11 We’re going on a day trip by ………… coach

12 They’re flying to …………. Seychelles.

13 It’s ……….. best solution.

14 Can you ski on …………… Mont Blanc?

15 It’s quite warm there in …………. winter.

16 We all need ……….. oxygen.

17 We’ve had over …………. dozen applicants.

18 She works in ………. television.

19 It’s all…………… better if you can come early.

20 He was crowned…………. king.

Q 3.

Complete the dialogue with a demonstrative adjective or pronoun from the box.

this (x3) that (x4) these (x1) those (x2)

ROB What’s on TV tonight, do you know?

JENNY No. Why don’t you look in the paper you’re reading?

ROB (1)…….. paper doesn’t have TV listings.

JENNY Oh, right. Well try (2)………. one on the shelf, over there.

ROB OK … yes, let’s see. There’s nothing much on (3)…….. days at all, is there? It’s all soaps and detective series.

JENNY Mmm. I thought there was always a serious documentary on Tuesday evenings. (4)…….. one last week on homelessness was really interesting.

ROB Yes, you’re right. There’s one on travellers. Listen. (5)………. is awful. ‘Although landowners may lose income while travellers are on their land, there is no fast route to evicting them. (6)……… who go through the courts often have to take out more than one injunction before the matter is settled.’

JENNY Well, what do you expect? The travellers need somewhere to live, like the rest of us. The government should give them land.

ROB (7)……….’s no solution, is it? They want to travel, not to settle.

JENNY How do you know? There was (8)……… story in my magazine about travellers from years ago and the encampments they made – they were allowed to settle down then.

ROB Yes, but in (9)…….. days there was more free land. Land is (10)………..valuable today, people use every bit of it and don’t want travellers on their land.

JENNY Mmm, well why don’t we turn the TV on and find out what the documentary says?

Q 4.

Match one of the sentences or beginnings of sentences in each pair (1-8) with a continuation of the sentence or conversation from the list below (A-l).

A I don’t know him. Do you?

B Could I have a closer look at it, please?

C It’s a basic human right.

D You just have to shop around.

E It’s the tallest type of tree in the world.

F She took journalism and media studies.

G You know, the one where Chris works.

H You know, the one that we couldn’t get last week.

I I’ve never come across one so talkative before!

0

a Let’s meet in a wine bar.

b Let’s meet in the wine bar. ==> ….b…. + …..G….

1

a My sister went to university.

b My sister went to the university

2

a The cat communicates a lot of desires and emotions.

b This cat communicates a lot of desires and emotions.

3

a Dr Richards called to speak to you.

b A Dr Richards called to speak to you.

4

a People shouldn’t be denied freedom.

b People shouldn’t be denied the freedom …

5

a A giant redwood once grew to over 70 metres.

b The giant redwood can grow to more than 70 metres.

6

a Let’s get a video out this evening.

b Let’s get that video out this evening.

7

a You can pay a lot less for a car these days.

b You could pay a lot less for a car in those days.

8

a This is an interesting specimen.

b That’s an interesting specimen.

Q 5.

For each of these questions, either one or two alternatives (A-C) are correct. Circle the letters ofall the correct alternatives.

1 I haven’t seen ______ of those films, so I don’t mind which one we go to.

A any B no C either

2 You shouldn’t slouch like that. It puts ______of pressure on one hip and leg.

A much B a lot C all

3 At this stage______ information would have been a step In the right direction.

A little B some C any

4 The Fitness Room would like to invite ________ of its patrons to enter the annual fitness challenge.

A all B every C some

5 _______ witnesses responded to the police appeal after the accident.

A No B None C Any

6 _______ of the women who attended the demonstration was willing to give us an Interview.

A No B None C Many

7 We would like to add that _______ medallion is inscribed with the name of its lucky owner.

A each B every C either

8 Only _______ of the news today has been about the election.

A half B a little C a few

9 We guarantee that _______ item of the dinner service will be replaceable for a period of ten years.

A each B every C all

10 We are delighted to be able to welcome _______ the competition winners to the gala evening.

A both B either C all

Q 6.

Complete the article with the words from above each paragraph. (- = no article)

a all the the the The this your – –

FOOD FRIGHTS

Planning a big day out this summer? It’s not just the rides that could turn your stomach!

The risk of food poisoning should be the last thing on (1)…. mind when you’re enjoying a quiet day out (2)….. summer. But, in (3)….. UK, there were around 95,000 reported cases of (4)…. food poisoning in (5)….. last year alone – a four-fold increase on the number of reported cases just ten years ago.

We checked food safety at 13 of our top tourist attractions. We tested the food on offer and inspected hygiene standards at restaurants, cafés and kiosks on site. Standards were generally poor. About (6)……. third of the 65 food samples we bought tailed to meet satisfactory microbiological guidelines. Sandwiches came out worst — in five of (7)…….. 25 samples we bought we found food-poisoning bacteria. But, to judge from our inspections, the results are not that surprising. Only one in seven food outlets passed (8)……… of our inspection criteria. (9)…………….majority of problems we came across were staff-related, and showed a lack of training in (10)………..food safety.

each half most the the these these This – –

What we found

At (11)………….. tourist attraction we bought a selection of sandwiches and other food products. Our tests revealed specific food-poisoning bacteria in five of (12)……….. sandwiches. High levels of other general bacteria were also found in more than (13)………. of the sandwiches – while (14)……….. bacteria don’t make you ill, they do point to (15)………… poor hygiene practices.

Five sandwiches contained food-poisoning bacteria at levels that are not satisfactory according to guidelines. (16)……………could cause food-poisoning – (17)……….. children, elderly people and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. We’ve informed (18)…………… food outlets and tourist attractions concerned; (19)……………(but not all) have taken positive action as a result of (20)………….disturbing findings.

Q 7.

Read the following text. In most lines there is an unnecessary word, a word missing or an incorrect word. For each numbered line (1-23), identify the mistake and write the correct word in the space on the right. Some lines are correct. Indicate these with a tick (✓). The exercise begins with three examples.

Magnum past and present

0 Magnum is a co-operative of nearly sixty photographers with offices in New ✓

00 York, London, Paris and Tokyo. A co-operative was founded in 1947 by …. A => The

000 photographers the Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson. George Rodger and the

1 David Seymour. All them had been involved in the Second World War.

2 Rodger had walked hundreds of miles through forest to escape Japanese

3 in the Burma. And Seymour received a medal for his work in American

4 intelligence.

5 However, all of founders of Magnum had been photographers for

6 some time. Photographic work they were famous for dated back further.

7 Capa’s photos of the Spanish Civil war were called ‘finest pictures of

8 front-line action ever taken.’

9 They all appreciated an importance of showing the world what really

10 happens during this major conflicts and world crises, so they decided to

11 produce the best documentary photography at this time. Cartier-Bresson

12 once commented ‘Some photographers tell the news step by the step as

13 if making an accountant’s statement.’ He and Magnum, on the other hand,

14 felt that the news had to be shown in that way that would engage most

15 the people who are unable to experience world-changing events at first-hand.

16 Tragically, within a decade of the start of Magnum, the half of its original

17 founders died while covering other wars. However, agency had started to

18 employ other top-class photographers and its work was sure to continue.

19 Today, Magnum is some goal for many young photographers. It still

20 produces the finest documentary photographs of world events. Recent

21 coverage has included the events in Balkans and the tribal wars in East

22 Africa, and while Magnum photographers cover these events, we will all be

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